A Christmas Story Christmas

It absolutely captures the spirit of Jean Shepherd's storytelling and the original movie.

It truly was a labor of love on Peter Billingsley's part to make sure that it just wasn't an excuse to cash in on the legacy sequel craze and throw something together. And it is a fun ride to take with him.

The fact that they recreated the street perfectly on European sets is just amazing. It takes you right back.

While it would have been nice to have Melinda Dillon back, you can't go wrong with Julie Hagerty in the role of Mrs. Parker. Who doesn't love carolers and casserole? And the returning cast seems to be having a great time reenacting the craziness that has made them beloved characters.

The actors playing Ralphie's wife and kids did a great job being his beleaguered family, sticking with him thick and thin, playing along with his dreams and eccentricities. The movie is laugh-out-loud at times. The callbacks to iconic scenes from the original (but often done in a grown-up way) are fun to spot. Some are outright hilarious.

It is nice to see how Ralphie and the boys all turned out.